MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (May 22, 2025) – Thousands of Berkeley County residents west of Interstate 81 will gain access to Broadband service in the coming months thanks to an $18 million project that is underway.
“Having committed $1 million in County funding for this project, we are proud to serve as a community partner to help extend this vital infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas of our County,” Berkeley County Commission President Eddie Gochenour said.
The project involves the installation of about 286 miles of fiber infrastructure to provide Broadband service in the communities of Hedgesville, Gerrardstown, Martinsburg, Inwood, and Bunker Hill.
Residents are expected to be able to order the new fiber service by July, Frontier officials have advised the County.
Frontier, which is now being acquired by Verizon, received $6,326,283 in state Major Broadband Project Strategies (MBPS) grant funds for the expansion of broadband connectivity to 2,531 targeted addresses in Berkeley County.
Frontier was selected in December 2022 by the Berkeley County Commission as a partner to fulfill the Broadband program requirements through a publicly advertised, Request for Proposal bid process.
Including the County’s contribution, the total matching funds are $11,748,811, for a total cost of $18,075,093.
Funding for the West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan, MBPS and LEAD programs, were provided through the West Virginia Legislature’s allocation of $100 million to create the West Virginia Broadband Development Fund. The Fund included $90 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $10 million in state general revenue funds. Funds also were derived through the ARPA Capital Projects Fund, which includes $136 million for broadband development in West Virginia.
The Federal Communications Commission Wireline Competition Bureau announced on May 16 that it had approved Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier by granting a series of applications that transfer licenses and authorizations.